MG Ramachandran

After taking a genuine stand on the historical monument Taj Mahal thus giving a huge rebuttal to his own party legislature infamous to raise controversies on issues of no relevance or raking up the issues leading to unambiguous confrontation between the majority and minority the saffron clad Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has made a global record by lightening the historic pious river Saryu’s bank and the adjoining precints with a whopping 1lakh 71 thousand earthern lamps where once in the TRETA YUG as the saying goes Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana landed in a Pushpak Vimaan after completing the 14 year old exile.

This historic moment never ever witnessed ever in any festival of India during the last 70 years after or before independence this outstanding efflorscent event during two days Deepawali, the festival of Hindus celebrated every year as a symbol of expressing happiness and ecstasy on the eve of Lord Ram, his wife Sita and brother Lakskmana returning back to Ayodhya after arduous 14 long years of most challenging exile. About 12.5 thousand litres of mustard oil with over 5 lakh cotton batties and two lakh earthern pots ( Diyas) were used to lighten the lamps on the banks of historic and pious Saryu River where Lord Rama stepped in for the first time after reaching Ayodhya from his most arduous and challenging 14 year protracted exile.

This is a world record, as never ever such large number of earthern lamps in any festival have ever been lightened in India’s or world’s history in a single go and in a single night. Though the various political parties may draw different political cannotations of this event but the fact can’t be denied that Lord Ram is the undisputed God of billions n billions of Hindus world over who are not athiest and believe in the Almighty.

The Bhartiya Janata Party’s main plank had been Lord Rama and the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, though the matter is presently subjudice as it’s in the Supreme court awaiting the final decision. The BJP had already derived political advantage on this issue when the BJP led NDA formed government at the centre under the then PM Atal.Bihari Vajpayee but the issue was sidelined on the opposition and advice of the then NDA partners, thus the matter finally going under the purview of the Court. God knows, what will be the fate of this complex issue in future that involves the majority and the minority communities.

But as far as the inkling of the Uttar Pradesh Chief minister is concerned he has already unambiguously made his stand known that he would wholeheartedly welcome the honourable court’s decision but is fully committed to not let the issue of Lord Ram go unnoticed or diluted and has as such allocated Rs 133 crores for the complete face lift of Ayodhya, the birth place of Lord Rama. A more than 100 metre high Statue of Lord Rama is being elevated on the banks of river Saryu with total modernisation of the area at an adjoining the river and Ayodhya.

This is for the first time that such a massive budget for the development and the facelift of a religious place has been arranged by any government of the state. However no rival of chief minister Yogi Adityanath or his party can point a finger of opposition, as a massive budget, just double of what is being spent on Ayodhya viz 360 crores, for the face lift of Agra and the precincts near the historical monuments like Taj, Agra Fort n Fatehpur Sikri has also been earmarked.

The chief minister Yogi Adityanath is visiting Agra on 26th October to formally inaugurate this over ambitious project. The complete facelift of historical and spiritual places of Agra and Ayodhya will not only improve the quality of life of the local populace but will also boost tourism on a tremendous scale earning immense profits and foreign exchange for the country n the state.

Former Tamil Nadu chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa who lived in the hearts of the people breathed her last at Apollo hospital in Chennai on Mondaymidnight and was buried next to MG Ramachandran at Marina beach with full state honours on Tuesday. She was undergoing treatment in Apollo hospital for the past 72 days. The court monitored probe should be conducted as to what type of treatment was given to her and was the negligence that led to her fatal cardiac arrest.

As a fearless political icon, Jayalalithaa known as Amma changed the overall political character of the state by ruling for over 14 years between 1991 and 2016 on the basis of her performance doing away with a caste or vote based politics.

Amma scripted history in 2016 by becoming the sixth time chief minister of Tamil Nadu even breaking the records set by her own mentor and AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran. She had to work very hard in face of stiff opposition by male dominated party rooted in Dravidian ideology.

Though she was pushed into two high profile careers in film line and later in politics but she worked committedly and wholeheartedly as an actor and later as a dynamic leader where she went to any length to removing hardships of the people that won her a loyal following of millions, who were ready to lay down their lives for her well-being.

Her style of functioning was such that she would not spare even her party cadres for creating obstacles in implementing the policies for the welfare of the people irrespective of their castes. Bureaucrats were enjoying upper hand in telling ministers how to implement procedures and nuances of governance and Amma relied on them in toto.

She has left a deep imprint on the Psyche of the people of Tamil Nadu who would see all their dreams being fulfilled through her and would worship her a Goddess and keep her photo in her pockets.

Hailed as Puratchi Thalaivi (Revolutionary leader) Jayalalithha struck alliances with DMDK and Left parties, wielded an iron hand to break the power of labour unions. Jayalalithaa’s health declined after her imprisonment in September 2014 in a disproportionate assets case in which she was acquitted less than eight months later.

Three years after the death of MGR in 1987 Amma won the 1991 elections by galvanizing the support from the rural poor despite the stiff opposition from senior leader R M Veerappam and MGR’s wife Janaki. She drew a token salary of Re 1. Emerged as the leader of the people, perceived ‘as a saviour’ as she launched several welfare programmes like subsidies and concessions in the PDS, in health and education, providing cycles to girls and laptops to college-goers, they are all investments in building capabilities. Expenses on such things as mobile phones, grinders and the like do not amount to much in relative terms as a share of government expenditure. Assistance of Rs 50000 for a girl’s marriage, Amma Canteen, Amma Water, Amma Salt. She started a scheme where food was given to the people at cheap rates Rs 2 and Rs 5 for a whole meal.

In direct contrast to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s approach of implementing schemes that have entailed even the death toll of about 100 people causing further misery to their dependents within a month of demonetisation, Modi is more concerned in seeing his policies being translated into votes where as Amma would ensure about the well-being of each and every tamilians being safeguarded in the country even when they were living in North India. Modi always takes into account the consideration of his partymen and cabinet but ignores the concerns of the poor to middle class people rather suspecting them of eating away nation’s wealth.

When Amma was declared dead, the continuous prayers in the state for her recovery burst into heart-rending scenes of wailing in the entire state of Tamil Nadu.